92 kegs found hidden near lake

Friday, November 11, 2011

By Sean O’Riordan

LARGE breweries will have to stop early morning pick-ups and deliveries if the rampant theft of beer kegs is to be stopped, a senior figure in the publicans’ organisation the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland has warned.

Con Dennehy, chairman of Cork County VFI, made his comments after gardaí in Bandon found 92 stolen beer kegs hidden near a lake at Enniskeane.

The stainless steel kegs are worth about €100 each in scrap value.

Superintendent Eddie MacEoin, who is in charge of policing in the Bandon area, said the kegs were found by gardaí during a search last Tuesday.

He said the high price of metal was leading to a surge in such thefts: “These kegs would be worth nearly €10,000 to the thieves.”

It is understood that most of the kegs belonged to Diageo.

Mr Dennehy, who runs a pub in Cork’s Cornmarket Street, said he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that the thefts of kegs was becoming big business.

“Some suppliers (brewers) have started making early morning deliveries of full kegs and collecting empty ones. In some cases they call as early as 5.30am and publicans have to leave the empty kegs outside for them,” he said.

Anybody with information about the empty kegs found near Enniskeane is asked to contact Bandon Garda Station on 023 8852200.